Despite missing two games due to a concussion, Malik Nabers is having a strong rookie season with the New York Giants.
As the No. 6 overall pick, Nabers has made 46 catches for 498 yards and three touchdowns. His number of catches ranks eighth in the league, behind Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (52), while his yardage is 17th overall, 176 yards behind Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals.
Quarterback Daniel Jones has thrown to the LSU product 73 times, which is the second-highest total, just behind Garrett Wilson of the Jets, who played Thursday night.
The transition to professional football hasn’t been a problem for Nabers, except for one issue, and it’s not the Giants’ 2-6 record. He is frustrated about dropping some passes. This season, he has dropped five passes, which is tied for the fourth most in the NFL.
The drop that most fans remember happened in the second week of the season when the Giants were tied with Washington near the two-minute warning. Nabers dropped a fourth-down pass that would have given New York a first down near the Commanders’ 10-yard line.
Jayden Daniels, a fellow rookie and Nabers’ quarterback at LSU, then led the Commanders on a game-winning field goal drive. The Giants had gone for the first down because placekicker Graham Gano was hurt on the opening play of the game and was not available.
Nabers, who caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown that day, said he has moved on from that game and is looking forward to Sunday, hoping to improve his performance.
“I’m still always trying to get better at not dropping the ball,” Nabers said Thursday after practice. “It’s something that I’m not trying to do. It just happens. So, I don’t want people to just think I’m trying to drop the ball. It’s just something that happens in the game.”
Nabers said he needs to focus on attacking the ball instead of letting it hit him in the chest. This usually happens when his feet aren’t in the right position or when he leans forward to catch it.
It really bothers him.
Playing the game is still enjoyable and challenging. He faced a lot of one-on-one coverage early in the season, but now teams are using a safety over him and a cornerback underneath.
“It’s not fun getting double-teamed,” Nabers said. “But it’s kudos to me for what I’ve been doing on the field. So, the defense doesn’t want me to get a lot of catches, get a lot of yards.”
Getting double-covered is something Nabers is used to from his college days. He found ways to succeed then, and he wants to do the same now.
“I’d still rather be one-on-one,” he joked.
Nabers needs four receptions on Sunday to match the Rams’ Puka Nacua (58) as the only players in NFL history with at least 50 receptions in their first seven career games.
He would also need 102 receiving yards against Washington to become the fifth player in the Super Bowl era with at least 600 receiving yards in their first seven games, joining Chase (754), Nacua (752), Anquan Boldin (621) of the Cardinals, and former Giant Odell Beckham Jr. (609).
